A nice little Hall of FameBy Gene Sapakoff (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Sunday, July 6, 2008
 Those of you renting beach houses have your halls of fame, we have ours. Like your stay, our honoree list is short but sweet. Gorman Thomas, the sneer who made Milwaukee famous during the Brewers' run to the 1982 World Series, was in the inaugural Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2003. The 1955 Cannon Street YMCA Little League All-Star Team was enshrined last year. The kids, their courageous parents and coaches changed youth baseball throughout the South. Organizers running white all-star teams refused to play them in tournaments and hastily formed originally segregated Dixie Youth Baseball. Another worthy Hall foursome is on deck. The Post and Courier will publish ballots in the sports section, beginning today. There are 12 candidates, plus a write-in option and online voting available at www.charleston.net. The Class of 2008 will be inducted prior to a Charleston RiverDogs game on Aug. 1. Almost all the current nominees (selected by a committee including me) deserve to make the cut this time or some summer soon. Several other great candidates were left off the list. Maybe next year. But you cannot go wrong fast-tracking any of the following half dozen: Father knows best --Richard Wieters. His son Matt Wieters is a former Georgia Tech and Stratford High School slugger and pitcher who was the Baltimore Orioles' first-round draft pick in 2007. Matt will be in the majors soon. Richard should be in the Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame sooner. All he did at The Citadel as the family's first plate/mound star was earn two Southern Conference Player of the Year awards. --Bryce Florie. Unless I'm missing someone, or until you can prove Sandy Koufax was secretly raised on Folly Beach, the Hanahan High School graduate has more major league wins than anyone born in the Lowcountry since 1870 (20-24 over 261 games with the Padres, Brewers, Tigers and Red Sox from 1994-2001). --Charley Smith. The late former infielder was born and raised in Charleston. His colorful big league career included stops with both New York teams, both Chicago teams, the Cardinals, Phillies and Dodgers. Smith hit .239 in 771 games from 1960-69. Movers and shapers --Alfred "Fritz" Von Kolnitz. One of the most underrated sports personalities in state history, he played in the majors for the Reds and White Sox from 1914-1916, was a football team captain at South Carolina and an athletic director at the College of Charleston. Those are just the highlights for a remarkable athlete who still has family in the area. --Walt Nadzak. The former Citadel athletic director was the person most responsible for bringing the Southern Conference Baseball Tournament to Charleston, making the event a hit first at College Park and then The Joe. --T. Ashton Phillips. The lifelong baseball enthusiast realized a dream when he became a part-owner of the RiverDogs. The late business wiz also was a friend of the Clemson and College of Charleston baseball programs and instrumental in arranging popular Tigers-Cougars regular season games in Mount Pleasant. Reach Gene Sapakoff at gsapakoff@postandcourier.com |
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Comments
This article has 2 comment(s)
Posted by Tulane75 on July 6, 2008 at 11:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I nominate Father Robert Kelly who was somewhat of a sports cult hero during my childhood years. I grew up in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood and my friends spoke of Father Kelly with great respect and a dose of fear (in a good way). Father Kelly played baseball professionally in the New York Yankees organization. But, he may have been the best basketball player on Bishop England's campus, even during the period when Lee Wilson, Frank Meyer and Tom Magee were putting up 40+ a game. Father Kelly was probably in his late 30's or 40's during those years. Father Kelly was a friend to all, but he was also a disciplinarian.
During the 1990's, Father Kelly met my father at the gym and they became friends. He would greet my father in Hebrew, Shalom (Hello, Peace, Goodbye). He always had a minute to talk sports with me and, without exception, every time I spoke to Father Kelly even a good day improved. Appropriately enough, the last time I saw Father Kelly was in the Spring of 2004 at the Father Kelly Field. The boys were playing baseball and the girls were playing softball on the adjacent field. Although his health was failing, you would not have known it to speak to him. He was his usual spirited and smiling self and I came away from my last Father Kelly visit the better for it. Father Kelly died in 2004, missed not only by his parishioners, but also this Jewish kid who had the good fortune to grow up in one "his" neighborhoods.
I also nominate Dave Morrow who coached baseball at Bishop England in the latter part of the 90's into the new Millennium. He won at least two State Championships in 1997 and 1998 after a runner-up year in 1996. He may have won more, but I lost track.
Dave was tragically killed in a traffic accident in 2007. He was passionate about baseball and protective of his players. As a parent in his program, I always appreciated his work ethic and drive to succeed. Although I was not around during the move to Daniel Island for the 1998-1999 school year, I understand that Dave Morrow put in countless hours of hard labor to help make the the Father Kelly baseball Field the special place that it has become.
Posted by SandlapperSpike on July 6, 2008 at 2:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Gene, you apparently are not a member of the Pat Luby fan club...
Really, wouldn't it have been simpler to write that Florie has the most major league wins of any Lowcountry native since 1900?